Cardinals will have to fight with desperate competition for their ideal trade deadline addition

The St. Louis Cardinals were dealt a blow on Friday when top trade target Zach Eflin was traded to the Baltimore Orioles. With more sellers than buyers, the market is a bit tight for top-shelf pitchers right now. St. Louis has enjoyed a classically solid campaign from Sonny Gray, its top free agent addition last winter, but the rotation is still lacking in depth.

Eflin was widely viewed as the ideal Cards target, described by one league source to FanSided's Robert Murray as a "new version of Adam Wainwright." Still, quality options exist in the marketplace. The American League is ripe with top pitching talent, and the league-worst Chicago White Sox are particularly inclined to sell, sell, then sell some more.

Garrett Crochet is the big prize in Chicago, but his new contract stipulations could dissuade the Cards from a serious offer. He's not the only high-level starter available from the White Sox, though. Erick Fedde, the 31-year-old ace who has dominated in his return from Korea's KBO, is available. He's in the first season of an imminently affordable two-year, $15 million contract. Teams are lining up around the block.

Yahoo's Russell Dorsey pinpoints two teams interested in Fedde — the Cardinals, and the Houston Astros.

"While Crochet has been one of the biggest names on the market, sources tell Yahoo Sports that right-hander Erick Fedde has generated more interest in recent weeks than Chicago’s All-Star left-hander. After dominating in the KBO last season, Fedde signed a two-year, $15 million deal with the White Sox this past offseason, and the 31-year-old has thrived in his first year in Chicago, going 7-3 with a 2.98 ERA in 20 starts this season, making his two-year deal look like a bargain and sending his trade value through the roof."

Of course, St. Louis will target the White Sox ace, but expect plenty of competitive offers to come across Chicago's phone lines.

For more news and rumors, check out MLB Insider Robert Murray’s work on The Baseball Insiders podcast, and join the discord to get the inside scoop as we near the July 30 MLB trade deadline.

Cardinals, Astros at front of the line to trade for White Sox ace Erick Fedde

While Crochet generates all the headlines, it would appear that Fedde is the White Sox ace picking up the most attention in league circles. The Cardinals, losers of three of their last four, need another leverage starter to reinforce their rotation as the NL Wild Card race heats up. At 53-50, St. Louis is currently 1.5 games out of the third Wild Card slot, trailing the red-hot San Diego Padres.

Fedde struggled to gain his MLB footing for years with the Washington Nationals, but after spending last season in Korea, he has returned to the States with a vengeance. He's not the sexiest name available. He won't overpower hitters with triple-digit heat or take the chair out with falling curves. Instead, Fedde works up a steady diet of groundballs with a four-pitch arsenal that features a sinker, cutter, sweeper, and changeup.

He has 104 strikeouts through 117.2 innings, posting an improbable 7-3 record for a White Sox team that is 52 games below .500 on the season. Fedde doesn't miss bats, but he does miss barrels. His success is oriented around setting up his defense. We can bring Wainwright up again; the Cards are familiar with finesse pitchers who win with pitch location, rather than pure muscle.

The Astros, too, are in the market for a top-line starter as injuries pile up in Houston. Fedde's exceedingly cheap contract just adds to his appeal. Teams the league over should be looking into him. He's guaranteed through next season, which means — ideally — the team trading for Fedde is trading for two postseason runs before worrying about his next deal.

Let's see if John Mozeliak and the Cardinals' front office operate with the necessary aggression to land Fedde or a pitcher of comparable value.